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Blythe Dolls

November 2013

November 29, 2013

It's funny what we do with insomnia. I usually get on Pinterest - if I really and truly can't sleep after the college try - and that makes me sleepy. Last night, however, I realized that my Etsy banner was just my blog banner with half the letters cut off. Pretty pathetic. I decided to look up the proper measurements and make one. I even learned how to download a font!

I made Permanent Magenta's for her well over a year ago so why was I neglecting my onw site? Inertia, soooo much knitting to do, avoidance - who knows? I woke up to an email from Erica of Colorshift yarns telling me how much she liked it (although since I did it at 4am I pretty much forgot about it.)

It's a good thing I'm not in the habit of drunk texting or online shopping at 4am.

I decided to look at Erica's banner, below, then, and look how beautiful. A massage for the retinas, indeed! Makes me crave more Colorshift Yarns.

We had a wonderful Thanksgiving here with a nice moist bird and delicious food. It was non-stop family time with no stress. The family cooking together was joyous and funny. I also finished a new sweater that is big and cozy and will be writing up the pattern today so keepa lookout for it. Happy ThanksHanukkah or whatever we're calling it this year. Eat well, sleep well, or if you can't sleep, make an Etsy banner!

November 21, 2013

Some people wonder what we see in knitting. Others are fascinated but say they could never do it. But just look at this Koigu Premium Painters Palette. I had a rotten day yesterday. This bit of lovliness was the equivalent of the gin bottle and any other illegal substance you can imagine - all put together. It's soft. It's quiet. It does what you want it to do and it's so pretty to look at. The fact that is entirely legal is a bonus that shouldn't be overlooked, either. Back and forth, back forth goes the little sample that I knitted up.

And how about a pretty butterfly. A Koigu butterfly perched on a skein of 100% alpaca and Shibui silk mohair. All of these yarns are waiting for mockups for new designs, although I'm fairly brave to be using white in such close promimity to Junior, who will probably manage to lose a tooth while standing over it, turning it into drips of red on white.

And hey - Koigu fans! Did you know they are now doing mini skeins? $2.75 keeps it a nice price point for the Beekepers Quilt or hey, even if you want to floss with Koigu (yes, your teeth.) Talk about the ultimate in knitted luxury.

November 20, 2013

The knitting room looks especially pretty today in the early morning light. I really need a lampshade and, in fact, a lot more light in there but I still love it. I'm glad I painted the opposite wall to reflect a different shade of pink in the mirror. It's somehow a pink room without being gross or annoying.

And who doesn't like it when a box of Knitpicks Palette arrives on her doorstep? This is for a new project, one I'm hoping - if it comes to fruition - will be loved by many. Difficult to buy colors on line, of course, but sadly Palette is not sold in stores. When one needs a lot of yarn for colorwork the price point is impossible to beat although I really love to buy from my lys's the best. When this came yesterday, Junior came firing up the stairs with what seemed to him a crucially important query: "MOMMY. Do Etsy and Ebay just send you stuff randomly?"

November 18, 2013

I've been off in wool Nirvana the past couple of weeks between Stitches East and VKLive in Chicago. My next project, now that the Lion Brand projects are finished (and oh, do you want to wear them, or WHAT? Ditto your trendoid kids!) involves Joelle's yarn from Wandering Wool. I fell in love with the blue and red together in her booth at Stitches. I had many, many Please don't Squeeze the Charmin moments, although she never said anything of the sort. I came back to look again. I then eturned with a notebook and drawings. I asked her questions, I came up with my design. Think seventies Scandinavian. I know, shock.

Speaking of shocked, I'm quite surprised at the aggro I'm getting for my lack of posts. Don't you guys ever take mental health days/years? You know you have a really hard week or two, then you fly off somewhere. You get home and suspect one cat is hyperthyroid, another cat has playground issues and fights with wild turkeys. Perhaps Kitkat hasn't heard about the Turkey shortage that Butterball may or may not be using to get us frantic moms sliding around the meat aisle in the Winn-Dixie and having a tug-of-war with other people grabbing Butteball Turkeys, five at a time. The trick to getting a Butterball being, of course, to ever so surreptitiously (this is a delicate procedure, do not be arrogant) wipe Vaseleine on one's hands and catch the other Turkey Moms unawares, feeling it here and there until it's just ever so slippery. BINGO, that Butterball slips right out of her hands into your nurturing bosom. Thanksgiving is saved. Petroleum jelly and lots of good butter additives all in one fell swoop! Or, you can just hire out Kitkat for a nominal fee and take what you get.

November 06, 2013

Vogue Knitting Live was great. I didn't sleep a lot - there was too much to do! So, now I'm home, drinking tea, eating fresh blueberry muffins and working on my Lion Brand knitting projects. Well, the final one, really, as the others are finished.

Casapinka was still standing on my arrival home. In fact, there was a home made chocolate cake waiting for me and my car had been detailed! Fall has really arrived here in Rhode Island and all the trees are golden. Perfect for chocolate cake and blueberry muffins. Not sure about this dish my kids are asking for, though - Tater Tot Casserole. I guess I'd better go look that one up...